When Lu Yin walked out into the golden screen and saw the current battle situation, he was flabbergasted. “Is that the Tri-Yang Technique?” he exclaimed.
As he spoke, the Ghost Monkey returned to Lu Yin’s arm.
Gu Xiao’er noticed that Lu Yin had walked over, and he replied, “Brother Lu Yin, you’re finally awake. You saved my life, so my life is now yours. There’s nothing more to say.”
Lu Yin ignored him and continued to stare at the battle taking place atop the golden screen in amazement. He could tell that Shang Qing was fighting against two enemies alone, and one of them was even Beast.
In Lu Yin’s eyes, Beast’s rune lines were monstrous, and Lu Yin estimated that the creature’s power level was around 400,000. Yuhua Mavis’s rune lines were far inferior to this.
It was inconceivable that Shang Qing’s Tri-Yang Technique was on par with Beast, let alone able to damage the corpse king.
Xie Xiaoxian was stupefied as well. “But that’s Progenitor Chen.”
Lu Yin’s face turned ashen. “Progenitor Chen?”
Xie Xiaoxian lamented, “The true nature of the Tri-Yang Technique is that each qi strand is able to transform into an image of a Progenitor that has the same cultivation realm as the user. Shang Qing is an Enlighter, so he is able to summon the powers of Progenitor Chen from when he was an Enlighter.” After this explanation, Xie Xiaoxian turned to face Lu Yin squarely and said, “I once thought that our generation was extraordinary and that history has never produced a batch of youths as talented and strong as us. However, the strength of past generations is really astounding. Look, there isn’t anyone among us that can fight against that corpse king, but Progenitor Chen apparently could.”
Lu Yin stared in awe at the figure that was fighting against Beast. This figure contained the might of Progenitor Chen, and with each slash of his blade, he dealt a grievous amount of damage to Beast. The blade intent imbued in each swing made Lu Yin’s hair stand on end. If he was the one facing these slashes, then he likely would not be able to fully avoid it even with the Ce secret technique. Was this Progenitor Chen’s battle prowess when he had still been an Enlighter?
“But Shang Qing has surely surpassed Progenitor Chen then. After all, he’s the one who summoned Progenitor Chen’s figure to fight against that corpse king,” Gu Xiao’er couldn’t help retort.
“That’s different. While Shang Qing is indeed unrivaled, he needs to rely on the powers of the Tri-Yang Technique. As for comparing him to Progenitor Chen, if Shang Qing hopes to match up to a Progenitor back when they were only an Enlighter, the Tri-Yang Technique isn’t enough by itself. Techniques are merely a means to fight with, not the path to becoming a Progenitor. Shang Qing might be able to suppress our generation, but he still can’t hold a candle to Progenitor Chen during his time.” Xie Xiaoxian shook her head and countered Gu Xiao’er’s claim.
“As if you’ll be able to become a Progenitor,” Gu Xiao’er remarked with a chuckle.
Xie Xiaoxian frowned and glared at Gu Xiao’er. “You’re asking for a beating, huh?”
Gu Xiao’er looked at Xie Xiaoxian and especially her scantily clad clothes that barely covered her. He licked his lips before saying, “You can spank me.”
Xie Xiaoxian snorted and turned to look back at the golden stage.
At this moment, Silver was still on the screen, and his sorry figure was a marvel to behold. He was clearly no match for his opponent, and the figure of Progenitor Chen was utterly suppressing Silver at every turn. His attacks were completely ineffective against the clone, though the opposite was not true at all; Silver was being thoroughly beaten down.
Not far away, Beast howled in agitation. While the will blade released by Progenitor Chen’s figure were not fatal to the creature, this was the only entity present that was able to dominate the corpse king in terms of close combat.
Shang Qing truly did have the power to look down upon his generation. What’s more, there was still one more clone from the Tri-Yang Technique that he had not released yet. Everyone was waiting in anticipation to see who the last clone would be, and Silver was no exception.
He was finally able to understand why the Neohuman Alliance was willing to spare no cost to capture Shang Qing, even at the expense of sending out the Seven Skygods. The Tri-Yang Technique was simply too overwhelming, and if Shang Qing was left alone to develop and hone his skills until he reached the Envoy realm, then forget a power level of a million—the threat that he would pose towards the Neohuman Alliance would be beyond belief.
Who could defeat a person who was close to becoming a Progenitor? With Shang Qing’s talent and skills, he would surely be able to challenge a Semi-Progenitor if his power level was at a million. Such a talented cultivator made for an unsolvable riddle
The few people who truly understood the power of the Tri-Yang Technique were most likely the Seven Skygods.
Now that Silver had discovered the terror of this technique, he had no reason to let Shang Qing go.
“Beast, fourth transformation,” Silver murmured as he evaded an attack from Progenitor Chen’s clone.
Earlier, Silver had similarly commanded Beast to use the fourth transformation, but he had given up before the transformation completed. Silver had used his death energy to allow Beast to achieve a powerup similar to what it would through another transformation, but it had not been enough for Beast to actually transform for the fourth time. However, the situation was different now.
This time, the corpse king shuddered before raising its head to the sky and howling.
Yuhua Mavis and the others who were staring from afar cried out in shock. So there is a fourth transformation!
A cold wind began to blow.
Shang Qing’s expression hardened as he summoned the final qi clone, causing the last qi strand to gradually take on a human form. Even Shang Qing felt pressured by this.
While Progenitor Chen’s clones had been illogically strong, they still would not be able to defend themselves from Beast after it underwent the fourth transformation. That level of physical strength was enough to even threaten Envoys, and even if no techniques were used, their bodies were simply realms above everyone else.
Silver’s lips curled into a grin as he stared at Shang Qing with mocking eyes.
Lu Yin himself unconsciously cried out in dismay. The moment he saw Silver’s expression, he knew that Shang Qing had fallen into Silver’s trap. That bastard’s extremely sneaky and patient, but he’s the best when it comes to disguising himself.
When the third qi clone fully formed, it immediately struck down at Beast, who had charged straight at the clone. Progenitor Chen’s clone struck down at the corpse king, who threw out its right arm to block the attack. The downward sweep of the blade completely severed Beast’s right arm, but the corpse king’s charging momentum was too much, and it managed to push Progenitor Chen’s clone off balance and back. Beast then seized this opportunity to shoot past Progenitor Chen’s clone and rush at Shang Qing with an outstretched left arm. Its goal was Shang Qing all along!
Silver and Beast had managed to put some pressure on Shang Qing and pushed him to the point where he had felt the need to summon his final qi clone. However, that meant that there was nothing left to defend Shang Qing.
Shang Qing had assumed that Progenitor Chen’s clone would be able to defend against Beast’s attacks, and he was taken aback by the sudden change.
According to his earlier battle analysis, Progenitor Chen’s clone should have been able to defend against Beast’s attack, but Silver’s scheming had finally managed to gain the upper hand in this battle. Silver had continuously suppressed Beast’s true power as he waited for the right moment all along. His intention all along had never been to defeat Shang Qing, but rather to capture him.
Yuhua Mavis and Qiu Shi were both so stunned by this sudden change that neither was able to act in time to lend Shang Qing a hand. And that wasn’t even mentioning how they were quite far away.
Lu Yin was also unable to help Shang Qing. After all, he was no merciful saint who would place himself in mortal danger by moving in between Shang Qing and Beast. Qiu Shi was the same; she was capable of using Star Transference, but had chosen not to.
Even though Shang Qing was a force to be reckoned with, before Beast, his defenses were like paper. At this moment, a screen appeared in front of Shang Qing, defending him from Beast’s sudden charge. There was a sound reminiscent of a hammer strike when Beast rammed into the screen, which caused the barrier to slowly start disintegrating, and the tremor from the impact had also managed to injure Shang Qing. Combined with his earlier injury from the Thirteenth Sword, Shang Qing finally began to vomit blood as he collapsed to the ground.
Wen Sansi, who had been thrown some distance away by Qiu Shi’s sourcebox array earlier, had returned at this crucial moment and was standing some distance away.
Even though Wen Sansi’s insurmountable barrier had crumbled from just one strike, it had still managed to buy them enough time. At this moment, the golden platform violently shook, and a golden light radiated out from the ground. Silver’s expression changed and he hurriedly cried out, “Beast, JUMP!”
Beast and Silver both jumped off of the golden platform.
By then, the golden light had engulfed the entire area. There was a flash, and Yuhua Mavis, Unseen Light, Ling Gong, Liu Tianmu, Xia Jiayou, Wen Sansi, and Yōu Qi all vanished from the Mountain and Seas Zone.
Lu Yin gaped in disbelief at the empty space where the golden screens had once been.They’ve all disappeared!
The people still inside the Mountain and Seas Zone were also staring blankly at the empty space.
The golden platform disappeared? What the hell just happened?
Xie Xiaoxian finally reacted and muttered, “It’s the Hall of Honor. They took those people away.”
Lu Yin’s heart fell and he looked over at Silver, who had jumped off of the golden screens.
At this same time, Silver turned to face Lu Yin with eyes that chilled Lu Yin to the bone.
Nobody had expected the Hall of Honor to have put some defensive measures in this place. The golden screens clearly had not naturally formed within the Mountain and Seas Zone, but were rather something from the Hall of Honor. The Neohuman Alliance had callously attempted to kidnap Shang Qing along with all the other remarkable youths atop the golden platforms, but their efforts had all been in vain. The Hall of Honor had long since put defensive measures in place.
As Lu Yin’s thoughts wandered to this point, his only feeling was that of abandonment.
He was not alone, as all of the people who had been vying for a spot in the Astral Tower had the exact same thought.
They had all been left behind with the Neohuman Alliance’s powerhouses. If lady luck smiled upon them, then they would be able to endure the upcoming battle of attrition until the Hall of Honor’s powerhouses rushed into this place. If she didn’t, then their lives and deaths would lay in their own hands.
Lu Yin had not felt this feeling of abandonment in a very long time. There was a reason why he had conquered the Outerverse, continuously clawing his way up to a higher status and greater backing. It was because he did not want to suffer through the tragedy of being thrown away onto Driftcharge Planet ever again. Lu Yin did not want to be treated as white meat nor be a person who was born and died in a stifling silence. However, in an ironic twist of fate, Lu Yin had been abandoned yet again after climbing to the very peak of the Outerverse.
The only silver lining was that the other people who had been abandoned were heirs to many of the Neoverse’s most powerful factions. For example, there was Xie Xiaoxian, who was standing next to him, Gu Xiao’er, Ku Lei, Black and White, and Mu Ziying. The truth of the matter was that they had not been abandoned, but rather that the Neoverse’s resources were limited and that they were simply not the first ones to be saved. The only reason for this was that they had not reached the pinnacle of their generation.
The universe was a cruel and merciless place. Others could decide your fate, but it was up to each individual to seize their own.
While Eversky Island would not abandon Lu Yin, they were neither able to represent the Mountain and Seas Zone nor the entire Neoverse.
Someday, when Lu Yin himself reached the pinnacle of the Neoverse, he would be able to decide his own fate. Only then would he never be abandoned, and at that time, he would actually be the one who chose the people to be abandoned.
Meanwhile, the remnant spiritual forces from the tablet world were still flooding into the Mountain and Seas Zone.
Gu Xiao’er nudged Lu Yin. “Brother Lu Yin, back up a bit. Don’t let those freaks from the Neohuman Alliance see you.”
“Seventh Bro, all of the good stuff on top of those split mountains are still there! Do you remember the mountain that Xia Jiuyou climbed up? The thing that appeared there seemed to be some kind of root. Do you think it could be a Root of Intelligence?” the Ghost Monkey asked.
Lu Yin’s expression changed. A Root of Intelligence? That was definitely not a bad thing.
He took immediate action, dashing out of the space within the eyes and shooting towards the base of the mountain. He wanted that Root of Intelligence!
Suddenly, Beast appeared behind him.
Lu Yin was startled, and he raced to evade an attack. The sides of the mountain crumbled from just one sweep of Beast’s arm. Silver was rather close by, and he grinned at Lu Yin with smiling eyes. “It’s been a while, captain.”
Lu Yin tightened his guard against Beast as he responded to Silver, “There’s no mutual hatred between us. I would suggest that you leave quickly, as the moment the Hall of Honor’s powerhouses show up, you won’t be able to leave.”
Silver shrugged his shoulders in reply. “It’s too bad that I wasn’t able to capture Shang Qing or that girl who’s learned the Thirteenth Sword. Thus, my mission will be judged incomplete, and I won’t be able to answer to them if I go back like this.”
“So now you’re aiming for me?” Lu Yin’s voice turned stone cold.
Silver grinned like a sly fox. “Oh, but captain, you are a true treasure! In just twelve years, you were able to climb to the apex of our generation, and you even conquered the Outerverse. If I’m completely honest, you’re worth no less than Shang Qing in my eyes.”
